


define divinity.

by avatraang



Series: the atla uni au where everything is different but also nothing is, all at once [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, yueki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28330299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avatraang/pseuds/avatraang
Summary: In between kisses that define divinity and with the moon watching them, they begin to fall in love.[Yue and Suki meet under the most memorable of circumstances: jail. Life happens from there. Yueki. Oneshot. Uni AU.]
Relationships: Suki/Yue (Avatar)
Series: the atla uni au where everything is different but also nothing is, all at once [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037001
Comments: 14
Kudos: 23





	define divinity.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeliorismMint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeliorismMint/gifts).



> So Mintynight left me a prompt from the dialogue promtps I posted on [my tumblr](https://avatraang.tumblr.com/) forever ago and am just now getting around to. The prompt was fo Yueki, and it was “Just trust me.” I am finally here to deliver!
> 
> This is part of my ongoing atla uni au. it is disconnected from the other fic(s) in this series. Actually, all of these fics are disconnected, they just happen in the same type of world. Which I am still busy creating. So if the next fic differentiates, just know the only thing they have to have in common is uni. Also: Reel is their version of Vine. Flix is Instagram. Flutter is like Twitter. No I will not be accepting criticism, THIS WORLD I’VE MADE IS WOVEN SO INTRICATELY I MAKE MY OWN AUs IN AUs OKAY
> 
> Anyways these two are cute and I might have projected a little. So sue me. I had a lot of fun writing this, thanks for the prompt, Mi! Hope y'all enioy and have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holiday season! <3

> “ _i've been watching you for some time  
>  can't stop staring at those ocean eyes  
> burning cities and napalm skies  
> fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes  
> your ocean eyes.”_

**-** **billie eillish,** _**ocean eyes.** _

* * *

Suki’s time in Caldera City has been pretty eventful so far. Training new agents, fending off assassination attempts. Trying new foods, adjusting to the new climate, the culture. She’s been here almost a year and still feels like there’s so much she hasn’t learned, so much to become accustomed to. Zuko says she’s doing great, but he’s also… Zuko, so Suki doesn’t really know what to think of that.

Ty Lee, on the other hand, says Suki needs to get out more. In fact, as they eat breakfast that morning, wondering what they’ll do with their rare day off, Ty Lee reminds Suki once again of her shortcomings. “Get a life, _please!”_ Ty Lee begs, stuffing her mouth with fried pork and peeling an ash banana. “You never go out.”

“I _do.”_ Suki takes a gulp of her miso, “I just don’t like going to clubs and shit.”

“So like, what are you going to do? Watch Reel compilations for the fiftieth time?” Ty Lee gives Suki a look of clear disdain.

“Fifty- _first,”_ Suki corrects with a wink. Ty Lee looks unamused for half a second, before breaking into a bright smile.

They lapse into silence, Ty Lee shoveling some oyakodon into her mouth as if it will disappear if she slows down. “I’m just worried about you.” Her phone pings – she pulls it out from her pocket and checks a text.

“ _Damn_ the hoes are up early.” She throws Ty Lee a look of faux shock. “Who is it this time?” Suki grins as Ty Lee waves her hand in the air as if to say _doesn’t matter_.

Taking a sip of her tea, Ty Lee clicks her phone shut. “Akira.” She rolls her eyes, watches Suki take a sip of her own tea. “He wants to go out tonight, to this club called Dawn. I’ve never been but I’ve seen some really cool pics on Flix.” Nonchalantly, Ty Lee adds, “You should come.”

Suki snorts, “Who, me? I have some super serious business to attend to.”

“Making memes on Flutter is _not_ super serious business.” Ty Lee finishes her oyakodon and points her perfectly manicured fingers at Suki. She opens her mouth to object, but Ty Lee barrels forward. “Please. Just this one, and I won’t bother you for two months. I don’t want to go out alone with Akira.”

“Then just… don’t go out with him?” Suki bites into a fruit tart. It’s her cheat day, so sue her if she eats more than she should.

Ty Lee huffs. “But I still want to go out with him! Just not alone. C’mon, it’ll be fun. Do it for your super awesome friend.” She throws Suki her best polar-pup look.

Suki sits back. It really _has_ been a while since she’s gone out. Four months at least. And Ty Lee not bothering her about it in exchange for one night…

“Alright.” Suki takes another bite of her fruit tart. “I’m down.”

What could go wrong?

* * *

_What could go wrong?_

The thought echoes in Suki’s mind as she sits in the cell, watching the Fire Nation cop input her (super innocent! So petty!) crime into the system. Seriously, how was she supposed to know the guy she punched was some Fire Nation noble? All Suki saw was him not leaving a girl alone, not even when she asked, and the next thing Suki knew, she was in handcuffs for assault. Can you blame a girl?

Apparently, you can.

“Just wait til the Firelord hears what happened.” Suki grips the bars, ignoring how cold they are. “Wait til he finds out you wrongfully arrested a Kyoshi Agent. Then you’ll see.” There’s a rustling in the cell next to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Suki sees the girl in it shift to take a better look at the scene.

“A _Kyoshi Agent.”_ The cop gives Suki a look of pure disbelief. His eyes run up and down her body, taking in the short yellow miniskirt and the low cut pink crop top. He makes eye contact with her, smirks at the colorful makeup look she’d done and the fancy braid Ty Lee had styled her hair in. “Right. And I’m the Avatar.”

Suki grips the bars harder. Maybe it’s the way her muscles flex, maybe it’s the way her eyes harden, but after an uncomfortable moment, the cop looks away. “You get your one phone call.” He mutters, unlocking the cell. Suki’s tempted to just run, but then she remembers she hasn’t done anything wrong and it’s better for her to behave. She sees the woman in the other cell shift again, but doesn’t turn to look at her full on. The officer hands her a phone and she dials Zuko’s personal cell. Praying he still sleeps with the ringer on and won’t be in too much of a bad mood, Suki waits.

“Who the fuck is in jail at four in the morning, and why do I know them?” Zuko doesn’t bother keeping his voice even, doesn’t bother with formalities. It’s his personal cell after all – anyone that has it _knows_ what he’s like. Suki curses caller ID.

“Zuko.” She sighs. “It’s Suki.”

Silence.

She uses it to her advantage. “Ty Lee convinced me to go out tonight, some dumb club called Dawn. It’s on Sixth Street. Anyways, I was heading out because I could tell Ty Lee wanted to head back with her date and I wasn’t feeling it either. They’d just caught a cab and I was waiting to catch one too when I saw this dude harassing this girl. She told him to chill and he didn’t, so I stepped in.”

Suki can practically see Zuko’s confused expression. “… So why are you in jail?”

“Cops showed up and arrested me instead. Apparently the dude is some noble’s son. Why _that_ matters and they can’t just _do their fucking job,_ I don’t know.” She glances at the cop and doesn’t try to hide her disgust.

Zuko’s tone is clipped, but no longer angry. “Watch your tongue. You’re a Kyoshi Agent and you’re in public. Tact, Suki.”

Suki rolls her eyes. She wants to remind him she started off as a girl gang (the Kyoshi Warriors, they called themselves) before the actual Kyoshi Agents picked her and her girls up. Instead, she sighs. “Are you coming or not?”

“You know I am.” Zuko sounds offended. “I’m not just gonna leave you, and it sounds like a noble’s son needs a rude awakening.”

“I’d pay to see that.” Suki picks at her fingernails.

“You’re kidding, right?” It sounds like Zuko’s finally gotten out of bed. “You’re gonna be the one to deliver it. I’ll be there soon, hang tight. Pass the phone back to the officer, please.”

With a grunt, Suki does what Zuko asks. Trudging back to her cell, she doesn’t bother to enjoy the cop’s stunned expression at hearing the Firelord’s voice. She settles down against the wall, deciding to get some sleep while she waits.

A low whistle cuts through the air, ruining Suki’s half-assed attempt at a nap. “Some story.” Looking up, Suki identifies it as the voice of the girl in the cell next to her. Finally taking a good look, Suki finds a stunningly pretty girl with dark skin and shockingly white hair. It’s in an intricate braid, one that Suki remembers seeing on the Water Tribe nobility of the North. “You’re a Kyoshi Agent?” The girl’s eyes are big, watching her with interest.

Suki grunts noncommittally.

She doesn’t seem to find Suki’s silence off-putting. She’s got a confident air to her, poised and quiet. Still, when Suki meets her eyes (a sharp blue shade), there’s a hint of mischief there. She’s the type of woman that makes Suki’s head hurt, makes her abdomen warm. If Suki weren’t equally as confident and so levelheaded, she’d blush at the sight of her. “I remember meeting the Kyoshi Agents, as a little girl. They came to visit my hometown.”

Suki risks another glance at the woman. She’s not looking her way anymore. Instead, her long legs are spread out in front of her and she’s reaching for her left foot, stretching. “Where are you from?” Suki asks, watching as the girl flicks her head to whip her braid behind her. She’s wearing black leggings, tight enough that Suki can see the way her legs flex as she moves. Suki coughs to try and clear her throat.

Switching to her other leg, the girl opens her eyes and meets Suki’s, that alluring blue sucking Suki in like a whirlpool. “The Northern Water Tribe. Salluit, specifically.” She doesn’t tear her eyes away. Suki gets the sense she’s being tested. Relaxing against the wall, Suki throws her arms behind her head.

“Isn’t that the capital city?”

The girl nods. Closing her legs, she reaches forward to touch her toes. Suki sees that her sleeves are a bright yellow color, contrasting with her oversized black sweatshirt. “What’s your name?”

“Suki.” She climbs up onto the bench bed in the cell and lays on it. “You?”

She licks her lips. They look soft… not that Suki is entranced by them or anything. And yet, as her name tumbles out, she finds herself strangely hypnotized. “Yue.” Suki hasn’t heard many Water Tribe names, but this one sounds particularly divine.

There’s a familiar ringing in the back of Suki’s mind, but she can’t quite place her finger on it. It’s like an itch she can’t scratch. “Why are you here, Yue?”

Yue picks at the yellow at the end of her sweater. “I broke the law.” She throws Suki a sardonic smile. It should have been annoying, but instead Suki notices Yue has a dimple on her left cheek and that her bottom teeth are slightly crooked. Suki wipes her nose with her hand, acting like it’s runny, but really she’s just trying to wipe the goofy smile off her face and remind herself of who the fuck she is. _You don’t simp, not even for pretty women._

The voice in the back of her head that sounds suspiciously like Ty Lee tells Suki she’s lying to herself, but whatever. She clicks her tongue and curses the fact that her silly smile doesn’t drop, especially not as Yue looks up, startled. “No shit you broke the law.” Suki rolls her eyes. _“How_ did you break the law?”

Yue shrugs. “I painted some stuff I wasn’t supposed to.” Her eyes dart to the cop, who’s scrolling on his phone and nervously glancing towards the door ever ten seconds. “Allegedly.”

“ _Allegedly._ ” Suki raises a brow, feeling triumphant at the way Yue blushes.

Shyly, Yue winks. “Allegedly, yeah.” She gets up and walks to the other end of her cell, closest to Suki. “It’s how my sleeves got an impromptu paint job.” She sticks her arm through the bars and Suki gets up, stepping towards her and running her hands around the sleeves. It’s sticky from the paint. Looking closer, Suki can see Yue’s hands are a little yellow, too. She grabs her right hand and gently traces her fingers around it. Looking up, Suki catches Yue watching her through her eyelashes.

Suddenly, Suki feels dizzy. The warm feeling in her stomach intensifies even as she drops Yue’s hand. _Am I_ _drunk_ _?_ She wonders, even as she smiles openly at Yue. To think Suki had been so hesitant to talk to the prettiest girl she’d ever seen. Fucking _wild._

Sliding down to the ground, Yue sits with her back to Suki. Suki follows her, resting her head against the bars. “Some of my friends and I decided we wanted to leave a message. You heard about the assault cases at Caldera University?”

Suki nods. “Yeah, my boss asked me to dispatch some of my agents to hang out around the University for that reason.”

Yue hums. “Well, that’s where I go to school. One of the girls that got assaulted is my roommate. It was… bad.” Yue shifts, tucking her long legs underneath her as if to make herself smaller. “It was gonna be a mural. If I had my phone I’d show you the design. A sunrise with a bunch of silhouettes in it, and the words _standing behind predators makes prey of us all. don’t be an accomplice._ It was simple. It was good.” Yue sighs. “But apparently not good enough, ‘cause campus police still caught us and now I’m here.”

“What about your friends?” Suki asks, scratching an itch on her arm.

Yue shakes her head. “They don’t have the same privilege I do. I told them to run for it.”

And just like that, Yue’s name clicks in Suki’s head. “Holy _shit.”_ Suki sits bolt upright, “You’re _Crown Princess Yue.”_

Yue snaps her head around and levels her gaze on Suki. “Took you long enough. The white hair usually gives it away.”

“I –” Suki flounders. “I thought it was dye?”

And then Suki laughs at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, of meeting the most beautiful woman she’s ever beheld in a cell while listening to her combat injustice and waiting for her boss to come save her. Suki wonders how she’s gonna manage to top this.

It hits her that she can’t, and she’ll simply have to ask Yue out.

Before Suki can come up with a plan to do so, the doors to the room bust open and in walks Zuko, hair hastily brushed back and a loose white t-shirt hanging over his fitted jeans. He glances at the cop, then at Suki, and then at Yue. “What are you doing here?” He asks, aging ten years even as he voices the question.

Yue shrugs. “You’re better off not knowing right now.” Suki’s never seen Yue interact with Zuko, but from how friendly they’re acting, she wonders if she’s missed something.

Zuko narrows his good eye. “Bro-”

Yue holds up a hand. “Just trust me.” Begrudgingly, Zuko listens.

Turning to the cop, he wanders closer and says something in a low tone that Suki can’t catch. Yue reaches through the bar and pulls Suki close. Reaching into her sweatshirt, Yue pulls out a pen. “You keep pens in your bra?” Suki whispers, watching Yue write something on Suki’s arm. She doesn’t pull away, doesn’t ask what it is. She’ll find out in due time, and Yue’s touch is light. As welcome as the full moon during an otherwise dark night.

Yue grins, “Not usually, but I couldn’t carry a purse on me tonight. I did what I had to do.” She slides the pen back into her bra, and Suki doesn’t miss the way Yue blushes as she watches her peer at the writing on her arm. “My number.” Yue explains. “You should text me.”

“Oh, should I?” Suki raises her eyebrows, suddenly much more in her element. It’s relieving to know she’s not the only one feeling… affected.

Yue sucks in a breath, just quiet enough that it can’t be heard but just pronounced enough that Suki’s eyes drift down to the other girl’s lips. When she glances up, Yue’s giving her a look that makes it clear Suki’s been busted. “You should.” She smiles again, radiance personified. Suki’s stomach does funny flips.

“Let’s go, you two.” Zuko’s voice calls to them – when they turn to face him, he’s watching them with a mix of barely concealed amusement and pain. He rubs his temple as the officer unlocks both Suki’s and Yue’s cells.

“Me too?” Yue asks.

Zuko gives her a tired look. “No, I just had the officer unlock the cell for no reason.”

Yue pouts. “Hey man, it was an innocent question.”

“Just –” He groans. “Come on.” The two women follow him out, both hardly attempting to hide their snickering. They’re in Zuko’s car when he finally speaks, eyes closed. “We’ll go see that family in the morning, Suki.” He opens his eyes and levels his gaze on Yue. “The officer told me what you reportedly did. Graffiti? Really?”

“He didn’t tell you _why?”_ Yue growls. “Ugh, cops. Listen.” She launches into the same story she gave Suki earlier, albeit with a tiny bit more dramatic additions thrown in. Suki notices she doesn’t use her hands much when she speaks. Only when Yue wants to make a strong point do her hands rise, flowing around her. It’s a shame – her hands are beautiful.

Zuko’s quiet for a while, even after Yue’s done with her story. Suki wants to ask how they know each other so well, but she knows which battles to pick, and this is not one to choose. At least not right now. “This needs to be fixed.” His right cheek twitches. “First an officer wrongfully arrests a Kyoshi Agent, then I find out they arrest the Crown Princess of the Northern Water Tribe for standing up to assault. Granted, the building was private property.” Zuko shakes his head, “But still. And you two are lucky. Others without your connections…”

Suki doesn’t really have anything to say to that, so instead she just puts a sympathetic hand on his shoulder and keeps her peace the rest of the ride back to the palace.

* * *

Two weeks later, Suki has no idea what to wear. Zuko is sitting on her bed, watching her sort through her clothes with a suspicious amount of amusement on his face. “I still can’t believe she asked you out.” He shakes his head.

Suki stops rummaging through her closet. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” She asks, holding a green jumper in her right hand and jutting out her left hip.

“Nothing against you.” Zuko rolls his eyes. “It’s just, when I first met Yue she was nothing like she is now. I guess being away from home has helped her come out of her shell.” He watches Suki’s face change, the interest grow. “Although she’s still got that same pure heart, and the annoying sense of duty.”

“She was… shy?” Suki turns back around and keeps on scouring her closet. She wishes Ty Lee were around to help, but it turns out Akira had been something worthwhile after all, because she’d put in leave and gone away with him for the weekend.

“Not shy.” Zuko slides off the bed and strolls over to her. “Just… super reserved. Quiet. She’d talk to you and make connections, but asking someone out? Never. I met her back before I left home, and then didn’t see her again til I took the throne. Like I said, she made the right move deciding to study abroad.” He clears his throat, “I think leaving home helps a lot of us, in some way or another.” Suki’s expression softens, knowing Zuko’s thinking about the time in his life when his father had sent him away with an impossible task. Zuko pulls out a simple sky blue jumper. “This is the one.” He says.

“You think?”

“Just trust me.” Zuko hands it to her, gently, so it won’t wrinkle.

Not for the first time, Suki thinks of how odd it is that one of her best friends is also her boss. That said boss spends an almost sad amount of time around her. But then, there is something very intimate about being tasked with keeping someone alive. Perhaps it’s a good thing they’ve so close. “Alright.” She steps into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. When she opens the door, Zuko’s laying on her bed, scrolling through his phone. Turning to look at her, he grins. He looks less like a king and more like the lost guy who’d visited her island so long ago.

“You look great.” He says, watching Suki put her hair up into a bun.

Suki’s eyes twinkle as she packs her purse, unplugs her phone from its charger. “Thanks, bro.”

“Anytime.”

* * *

When Yue sees Suki, the blush that rises to her cheeks almost instantly makes Suki think she should have Zuko pick out her outfits every day. Still, Yue doesn’t stutter as she lets Suki take her hand. “You look really pretty.”

“You look celestial.” Suki retorts, and it’s true. Her white hair is loose, falling in curtains around her. The green top she’s wearing has little yellow flowers around the edge, and they bring out the warmth of Yue’s undertones.

Yue takes them to a little hole in the wall on Rangi Road, where the drunken noodles are so good Suki wonders if they’re bewitched. Afterwards, Yue drags her up to the top of the city, and they watch the sun set over Caldera. It’s nice, new –Suki has never really been taken out before, and Yue sure knows how to treat a girl. The conversation comes easy. Yue is interesting, funny, so special that when she tells Suki the story of her birth, it makes too much sense to know that Yue has been _literally_ touched by the Spirits themselves.

Glancing down at their hands, Suki bumps shoulders with her date. “Guess that means I’ve been touched by the Spirits, too.” She gives Yue’s fingers a gentle squeeze.

Yue rolls her eyes. “You’re irritating,” She says, but she’s laughing.

The moon is rising when Suki remembers who she is, remembers that Yue beat her to asking her out. But there is one thing Suki can still beat her in. And so, with years of cultivated confidence, Suki slides her hand up to Yue’s cheek, turning to face her completely. Whatever Yue had been getting ready to say dies on her lips. Those eyes fixate on her again, so whole that Suki swallows heavily. And then she leans in, watches Yue’s eyes flicker down to her lips, and closes the distance.

In between kisses that define divinity and with the moon watching them, they begin to fall in love.

* * *

> “ _i_ _n a room full of art_ _ **  
> **_ _i_ _'d still stare at you_ _ **  
> **_ _a_ _true masterpiece_ _ **  
> **_ _o_ _f purple and blues.”_

**-** **flowerbxmb,** _**loving you is an art.** _


End file.
